Corporate website as a tool for attracting and recruiting ...

EMI, Vol. 8, Issue 1, 2016

ISSN: 1804-1299 (Print), 1805-353X (Online)

emijournal.cz

CORPORATE WEBSITE AS A TOOL FOR ATTRACTING AND

RECRUITING MILLENNIAL TALENT

Dana Egerov¨¢

University of West Bohemia, Faculty of Economics, Czech republic

egerova@kpm.zcu.cz

Abstract:

In recent years, the use of corporate websites to recruit potential job applicants has increased steadily.

It is also evident that company websites are considered as one of the major tools for attracting and

selecting Millennial generation. Despite this trend, the empirical research on the use of corporate websites

for recruitment processes is still limited. The paper reports the findings from the survey focused on

evaluation of 116 company websites with the aim to better understand how these companies use their

own web space for recruiting and selection of potential job applicants, specifically talented Millennials.

18 items broken down into three sections were used for evaluation of corporate websites. On the one

hand, the findings of the study show that most companies provide explicit organisational related

information and available information regarding job characteristics. On the other hand, the findings

highlight that most companies do not communicate elements regarding their culture and do not provide

content specifically targeting college or university candidates. Moreover, only a minority of companies

in this survey uses social media as a part of their recruitment efforts. The practical implications of the

survey results are discussed. This survey may provide guidance for the future research and practice in the

area of company recruitment website design.

Key words:

Recruiting, attracting, corporate websites, job seeker, Millennial talent

JEL Classification: M12, M15, L62

1

Introduction

In the current global, dynamic and uncertain business environment the talent has become one of

the key factors of organisational success. It has become also obvious that companies face the war for

talents and human resource professionals are under increasing pressure to attract, develop and retain

talents to meet current and future organisational needs. Thus, finding and retaining talented employees

have become more critical for most of the companies worldwide.

Today, an increasing role in retaining talent has played technology. Technology advancement has

caused shifts in the practice of talent management acquisition process and will continue to do so. The

current trends point that the Internet has emerged as a growing and high-potential recruitment medium

for recruiting and selecting employees (Cober et al., 2004b). The Internet provides companies and human

resources professionals with a tool to convey a large amount of information about the company to job

seeker. Among the many e-recruiting methods company websites are considered one of the best tool for

recruiting potential applicants and an important means by which job-seeker initially gather information

about future employers (Williamson et al., 2010b). We argue, that the starting point to attract new talent,

specifically talented Millennials should be its own corporate website and the attached career site.

The growing significance of corporate websites in the field of talent recruitment is proved by many

surveys (Llopis, Gonzales and Gasco, 2010; Mauer and Cook, 2011; CIPD, 2015). To compare with other

e-recruiting methods and forms such as job boards, specialized job sites, etc. organisational recruitment

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EMI, Vol. 8, Issue 1, 2016

ISSN: 1804-1299 (Print), 1805-353X (Online)

emijournal.cz

websites are less costly and can exchange more information about both employee and the employer.

They allow companies not only to offer prospective applicants job descriptions and other information about

the company but they also allow to integrate features such as images, sound, video and animations

(Cober et al. 2004b; Braddy, Meade and Kroustalis, 2006). Generally, the company websites offer a more

dynamic a rich platform, more instant and personal communication and more informational design options

for employee recruitment to compare with other e-recruiting methods. In the end they give companies

greater opportunity to provide content that matters to job seekers (Cober, Brown and Levy, 2004a).

Despite the growing popularity of the company recruitment websites the empirical research on this

topic is relatively still limited. Thus, the present study aims to contribute to the research on this area.

Specifically, the study explores the extent to which companies use their own websites for attracting and

recruiting potential employees, specifically Millennial talents.

The structure of the paper is as follows. First, a brief literature review about the surveyed subject

is provided. Then, the scope and methodology of the study is explained. Next, the results are presented

and discussed. The paper concludes with a summary and discussion of main findings and the study¡®s

limitations.

2

Literature review

2.1

Company recruitment websites and the content

Surveys show that companies more and more have utilized websites that are primarily dedicated

to communicating recruitment information to job seekers (Cober et al. 2004b). It is also evident that

corporate websites play a central role in terms of providing a variety of information about a company to

job seeker which can be communicated in a different ways such as text, images, interactive links etc.

(Allen et al., 2012).

The effective company communication via corporate website is regarded as a crucial determinant

of a company's ability to successfully attract qualified applicants (Cappelli, 2001, Williamson, Lepak, and

King, 2003a). The importance of recruitment communication is specifically evident in the early stages

of the recruitment process, when applicants are involved in a series of decisions about their future

employer. From the potential applicant point of view the early stages of recruitment can be viewed as

a form of information search whereby an applicant gathers information to build a mental representation of

what it would be like to work in a given company (Allen et al., 2012).

An explanatory framework for why a corporate website and career websites affect an applicant¡¯s

perception of the organisation provides signalling theory (Spence, 1974). According to this theory, when

job seekers do not have complete and accurate information about the organisation, or is uncertain about

the vacant position, they typically draw inferences from observable attributes, using available information

as signals about the organisation (Zamparini, Calegari and Lurati, 2010). Thus, organisation needs to

take care about information provided on their corporate websites.

The vital factors of the first reaction and subsequence attitudes of applicants, both towards

organisation and vacant position are the content and the appearance of a corporate websites and

communication features (Cober et al., 2004b). According to these authors the recruitment website

effectiveness is influenced by the design of the websites and by the manner in which the information is

displayed. Also evidence from recruitment literature suggest that website content such as organisational

and job-related information and website stylistic features can enhance the job seekers fit perception

and attraction to the organisation (Chen,Ch-Ch, Lin and Chen, Ch-M, 2012). Similarly, Roberson, Collins

and Oreg (2005) suggest that the individual's application intention is affected by the content of recruitment

messages.

According to Chen, Ch-Ch, Lin and Chen and Ch-M (2012) the most important design factor is the

amount and type of information provided. Thus, applicant? perception of the company and his intention

to apply for vacancy is influenced by the quantity and quality of information. Findings of studies indicate

a positive relationship between the amount of content in recruitment materials and attraction to an

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employer. In addition to the quantity of content (information) an important role in determining job seeker

interest in employment pursuing plays the type of content. Several other studies also showed that

providing explicit or detailed recruitment information effects more applicants¡¯ intentions to seek

employment with company to compare with general or vague information (Roberson, Collins and Oreg,

2005).

Furthermore, Allen et al. (2012) argue that clear and comprehensive information about job

opportunities and the company are more important than design characteristics or detailed information

about other company characteristics. According to many authors (Roberson, Collins and Oreg, 2005;

Cober, Brown and Levy, 2004a) content related to organisational goals, mission statements, culture and

values, training and career development, benefits and employment opportunity have received a great

attention in job-seeker evaluations of an employment opportunity. Thus, corporate and career websites

should include and communicate the right amount of real, authentic and relevant information.

2.2

Company recruitment websites and the target recruitment communication

The ability to target and attract different applicant groups explicitly is one of the mportant benefits

of corporate websites. There are some research studies suggesting that targeted messages have

a positive effect on applicant perceptions of the company and job vacancy (Cober, Brown and Levy,

2004a). Thus, clearly defined target job applicants and knowing their behaviour, motivation and job

product knowledge should be a useful starting point for the company to design websites. In addition,

different target groups/generations have different expectations and may look for different things when

considering an employer. These are important predictors of applicants interesting in a job. (Eger, Egerov¨¢

and Mi?¨ªk, 2015). For this reason, company websites need to provide relevant message content,

vividness, and interactivity required to effect different targeted job applicants (Mauer, Liu, 2007).

As the Millennials (born between 1980 and 2000) enter the workforce and their role in the workplace

has increased significantly, more and more organisations concerned about attracting this generation

group. It is assumed that by 2020, Millennials will form 50 % of the global workforce (PwC, 2011). It is

evident that Millennials will be a powerful generation of workers and that to attract the talented Millennials

will be critical for the future success of the companies.

There is widespread agreement that this generation have their own set of values, attitudes and

different expectations to work and workplace compared to the previous generations. According to many

surveys the most important factors to this generation are opportunities for development and career

progression, strong organisational culture and good reputation (PwC, 2011; Eger, Egerov¨¢ a Mi?¨ªk, 2015).

Furthermore, they prefer communicate electronically than face-to-face, want to work for companies that

have vision, seek meaningful work, personal fulfilment and work-life balance (Park and Cursoy, 2012).

The studies also show that Millennials rely strongly on online resources and build personal relationships

through social media. Therefore, if companies want to attract Millennials and specifically Millennial talent

they must consider their specific characteristics, wants and needs when creating corporate websites and

when communicate with this generation.

3

Methodology

The present study focused on evaluation of company websites with the aim to better understand

how companies use their own websites to retain potential employees specifically Millennial talents.

More specifically, the study provides the answers to the following research questions:

1. To what extend companies provide organisational related information to the job seeker on their

websites?

2. To what extend companies provide job related information to the job seeker on their websites?

3. How companies communicate with potential applicants with an emphasis on social media

communication?

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EMI, Vol. 8, Issue 1, 2016

ISSN: 1804-1299 (Print), 1805-353X (Online)

emijournal.cz

3.1

Research method and tool

As a research method and instrument for data gathering we used ?unobtrusive measures¡°.

Unobtrusive measures are data collection techniques that involve the use of non-reactive resources,

so that information is obtained without the subject¡¯s prior knowledge. (Miller, Brewer, 2003). According to

Gray (2009) unobtrusive measures can offer flexible, creative and imaginative way of collecting data.

The data were analysed and accessed using heuristic analysis which are used in internet marketing, in our

survey specifically focused on corporate websites and career websites.

Drawing from literature and surveys on corporate websites with the focus on online recruitment

communication and talent management (Williamson, Lepak and King, 2003a; Llopis, Gonzales and

Gasco, 2010; PwC, 2011; Jobvite, 2013) 18 items broken down into three sections were used for

evaluation of the corporate websites. Section one was devoted to general organisational information from

corporate websites and included the following six items information about organisation, mission and goals,

product portfolio, organisational culture (values), corporate social responsibility and currency of web sites.

Section two assessed the websites with the focus on job offer including the following seven items link to

career websites, job description, job requirement, possible benefits associated with a given job

opportunity, opportunities for college/university candidates, opportunities for training and personal

development and link to the contact person or human resource department. Section three was focused

on communication and interaction and included five following items ability to provide rapid answer and

immediate feedback, possibility to create a personal profile, links to social and professional media,

organisational profile on Facebook and Linkedin and currency of social network on social media.

All items were rated on a dichotomous yes-no basis by two independent experts. Key websites

were in accordance with early mentioned methodology archived. Once assessment was completed,

the experts met to compare findings and reconcile discrepancies.

The survey was carried out in June 2015 followed by outputs control in July 2015.

3.2

Sample

We conducted a study of the websites of the 116 companies. Four companies did not have

employment websites and were excluded from survey. Companies for this study were selected randomly.

They represent the companies that are members of Automotive Industry Association (AIA). The AIA is an

industrial association of the Czech manufacturers of vehicles, suppliers and other companies and

institutions involved in the Czech automotive industry. The aim of this Association is to develop the

automotive industry as a specific manufacturing sector. We chose this companies because of their

importance in the Czech economy. The automotive industry belongs to the most important sectors in the

Czech Republic (CR) and represents one of the traditional drivers of the Czech national economy.

Enterprises associated in the AIA participated by 21,3% on total industrial output of the CR and by 20,1%

on total export in 2014. The total number of employees within AIA members in 2014 was 112 877

employees (AutoSAP, 2015). The important reason for choosing given companies were also declared

problems with retaining talented employees within this industry.

4

Results and discussion

In this part that follows we report and discuss findings for the given sections and items.

4.1

Section 1 ¨C Essential company attributes

In this section we evaluated six items. The results are presented in Table 1. To evaluate item

Company general information (e.g. revenues, number of employees, locations etc.) the more emphasis

was played on the comprehensiveness and ¡°richness¡± of information provided on websites such as about

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EMI, Vol. 8, Issue 1, 2016

ISSN: 1804-1299 (Print), 1805-353X (Online)

emijournal.cz

us, about company etc. For evaluation the item Vision, mission, goals were used both websites provided

explicitly information about organizational vision, mission and goals and also company documents

referred to these issues if they were expressed in visible form. To asses the item Production portfolio the

emphasis was put mainly on the presence of actual information about company¡¯s production. Referring

to the items Organisational culture and corporate social responsibility we assessed the amount of

information related to the organisational culture and corporate social responsibility. Concerning the item

Currency of websites we evaluated whether the information, sources and links are current and working.

Tab. 1 Section 1

Outputs of evaluation of websites related to essential organisational attributes

Company

general

information

Items

Frequency

%

111

99.1

Vision,

mission,

goals

Company¡¯s

production portfolio

65

58

Corporate

culture.

(values)

112

100

54

48.2

Corporate

Currency of

social

websites

responsibility

61

54.5

98

87.5

N - total

number of

companies

112

100

Source: Own

As can be seen in Table 1 all surveyed companies provided information about production portfolio

on their websites. The findings nevertheless show that the quality of these information varied quite widely

among the companies. Referring to the item Company general information all companies except one

included essential information about the company on their websites. In terms of website currency,

a significant majority of the companies (87.5 %) had updated websites and the content including links was

current and working. Findings show that 54.5 % of the companies displayed information explicitly referring

interest in implementing corporate social responsibility activities and 58 % of them provided information

related to their vision, mission and goals on their websites. A lower percentage of companies provided

job seekers with information concerning corporate culture (48.2 %). This finding we consider as negative

especially to the fact that individuals seek for companies with corporate cultures that matches their own

beliefs, attitudes and values (De Goede, Van Vianen and Klehe, 2011). Thus, the more information about

corporate culture is available the more attractive the company is for job-seeker. This implies that

companies need to pay close attention to communicate their culture relevant information.

4.2

Section 2 ¨C Job related attributes

In this section we assessed seven items. The results are presented in Table 2. The item Link to

career site was rated yes if there was link to career site and the career site exists. Referring to the items

Job description and Job requirement we evaluate the presence of essential information regarding these

areas. To asses the item Benefits the emphasis was put mainly on the content of information. It was

difficult to assess this item due to information were being fragmented in different sections and parts of

corporate websites. To asses the items Opportunities for college/university candidates (e.g. offer

internships, mentorships programmes etc.) and Opportunities for training and development the emphasis

was put mainly on the presence of actual and available information. Similarly to the previous item, there

were occurred difficulties to assess these items due the fragmentation of related information on corporate

websites. The item Link to contact person career site was rated yes if the company websites contained

visible link to the contact person or human resource department.

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